How To Perform The Alternating Lateral Lunge Walk

ByMike Collins

The Alternating Lateral Lunge Walk is a workout that will increase your body strength and fitness, while also helping you to work on your range of motion, reduce the risk of injury and even lose weight. As you complete the prescribed sets with proper form and time, you'll feel the glutes and quads as they step one foot out to the side at a time, bending both knees until the heel touches the ground. From there, return to standing by pushing off with your leg before switching sides for an alternating movement that targets both glutes and hamstrings as well as the butt and core muscles.

Certified personal trainers recommend this workout for athletes who want to strengthen their legs or runners who need more lunges in their routine. With dumbbells or resistance bands added for increased intensity or medicine ball variations for upper body engagement like shoulder press exercises – it's no wonder why so many people are turning towards lateral lunge walks!

Instructions:

  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, and your weight evenly distributed on both legs. Make sure to keep your chest and torso upright, with your palms facing inwards towards the body.
  2. Begin the exercise by stepping one foot out to the side into a lateral lunge position, making sure that the knee of your front leg is bent to a 90-degree angle and that the thigh is parallel with the ground.
  3. Push back up with your front foot, maintaining balance and stability as you shift your weight onto the other side before stepping out into a lateral lunge position again.
  4. Continue alternating legs in an outward and inward motion, feeling the glutes, quads and hips work as you move.
  5. As you perform each lunge, focus on keeping your torso upright at all times; this will help to engage the glutes and core muscles whilst also improving balance and coordination.
  6. Once you've completed the prescribed number of reps (or reached a desired level of fatigue), return to a standing position and take a moment to rest.
  7. To add resistance, you can hold a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells in each hand as you perform the alternating lateral lunge walk. This will help build muscle strength and improve overall performance.

Benefits

Alternating lateral lunge walks are a great way to improve balance and coordination, strengthen your core muscles, and build strength in your lower body. They also target the hip flexors, gluteus maximus, and inner thighs for toning those areas as well.

What is a certified personal trainer's advice on alternating side lunges?

CPT's recommend that when doing alternating side lunges you keep your core engaged at all times while making sure to keep both knees bent at 90-degree angles with your left leg straight out in front of you and both feet planted firmly on the ground throughout each lunge repetition. Additionally, they advise keeping your toes pointing forward or slightly outward rather than inward when performing this exercise for optimal results.

Can anyone perform lunge walks?

Yes! Anybody can perform this exercise regardless of their fitness level; however it is important to modify the intensity depending on individual ability levels by starting off with fewer reps (5-10) until better control is achieved before gradually increasing reps over time.

What muscles are targeted with alternating lateral lunges?

Alternating lateral lunges target the hip flexors, gluteus maximus, and inner thighs to help tone and strengthen these areas. Additionally, they also target the core muscles to improve balance and coordination while strengthening the lower body.

What are some variations?

There are many variations of alternating lateral lunge walks including regular lunges, walking lunges, reverse lunges, dumbbell overhead lunges, Bulgarian split squats, and curtsy lunges. Each of these variations targets the same muscle groups but at different intensities depending on your fitness goals.